Death is pretty integral to videogames.
Not in some fancy, high-falutin conceptual way, but as the default failure state in most action games.
At the same time, the attitude towards death is rather relaxed.
You die, you restart, you take another crack.
No biggie, until some story beat snatches a beloved NPC away from you.
Suddenly death mattered beyond simply losing progress.
Thing is, its been a while and that approach is getting a bit stale.
Did it really need to be in Tunic?
Like Anor Londo, its beautiful, but stagnant.
We need a fresh take on popping the old clogs.
Thats where Blood West comes moseying into town, all cocksure gunslinger swagger.
Maybe surprisingly, you dont drop anything when you die.
No loot to recover, no experience points lost, nothing.
Heres the really clever bit.
Youre not stuck with the curse for good.
The powers that dragged you from the grave can also lift a curse, once its fully active.
Simple systems that just work are common throughout Blood West.
When it fills up, youre spotted.
Its the same with the visuals, the sound effects, the voice acting.
Thats the rootin and the tootin, what about the shootin?
Satisfying, in a word.
Enemies are pretty tough and blasting away will just end up eating through your ammo supply.
Or with you being eaten.
It makes all the small upgrades and skills you buy when you level up feel really meaningful.
This is Blood West, the supernatural horror Western immersive sim with a heavy bias towards stealth.
